Question How can I replace my MSI hinges to make my screen stand on its own (some kind of stake for screen, similarly to tree stakes)

[vaipan]

MSI hinges

Hi all,
A year ago my MSI did a typical MSI thing: one of the hinge got stuck. I unstucked it with some tutorials, but impossible to do anything else than 'putting' the hinge down, so that one side of my computer was only supported by the plastic part. Now it's the second hinge that let me down-too much pressure. MSI says minimum 400 euros, which I don't feel like paying. My MSI is already 3 years old, and I'm seriously doubting he'll survive much more than a year or two.

Now the screen only stands if supported by books behind, some kind of support. It's OK but not great since I can't work elsewhere than at home with this set-up. I feel that I need to be creative. I thought about trees, and these 'stakes' for trees when a tree is sick and need support. Would such thing exist for a computer screen? Would you build it? How?

Thanks for your answers! Pictures of the hinges are in the link in red, first thing at the head of the article.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

The hinges themselves are just fine. The entire plastic back shell is what needs to be replaced. This is not something you are going to mickey mouse fix.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, there's nothing here standardized in any way that would help make this laptop more usable. And the hinges look fine; it's the case around the screen that's been obliterated. You may be able to engineer some janky solutions with braces or brackets and maybe a bit of sheet metal to get it all into one piece, but a solution that would keep it a laptop that opens and closes and isn't a real oddity is much harder.

But this is a pure DIY category. I cannot imagine being able to walk anyone through improvising a solution. Probably the most practical is checking on ebay and seeing if someone is selling a dead version of this laptop and transplanting your motherboard to it. If the filthiness of the laptop from what we see from the image reflects the general condition of it, I'm not sure I'd sunk much money into this if any.

 

[vaipan]

Yeah, there's nothing here standardized in any way that would help make this laptop more usable. And the hinges look fine; it's the case around the screen that's been obliterated. You may be able to engineer some janky solutions with braces or brackets and maybe a bit of sheet metal to get it all into one piece, but a solution that would keep it a laptop that opens and closes and isn't a real oddity is much harder.

But this is a pure DIY category. I cannot imagine being able to walk anyone through improvising a solution. Probably the most practical is checking on ebay and seeing if someone is selling a dead version of this laptop and transplanting your motherboard to it. If the filthiness of the laptop from what we see from the image reflects the general condition of it, I'm not sure I'd sunk much money into this if any.

Thanks for contributing. If by filthiness you mean the fact that it looks filfthy because the plastic case is off therefore it shows the shabby parts, I did what I could. I often take off the dust and all but since I move it often I can't do better than that.

The hinges themselves are just fine. The entire plastic back shell is what needs to be replaced. This is not something you are going to mickey mouse fix.

I'll try to see I can buy the plastic back shell somehow, dead laptop or not, but do you think I can replace it myself?

 

[DSzymborski]

Thanks for contributing. If by filthiness you mean the fact that it looks filfthy because the plastic case is off therefore it shows the shabby parts, I did what I could. I often take off the dust and all but since I move it often I can't do better than that.

I'm not talking about where the case has been removed. I'm talking about the lower area, above your keyboard, which is extremely dirty. If this is consistent with the level of care that this laptop receives, it's not a surprise that parts of the case have been broken, it's likely this isn't the only way the laptop is on its last legs. In which case, spending much to fix it wouldn't be a good investment of your money.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

....I'll try to see I can buy the plastic back shell somehow, dead laptop or not, but do you think I can replace it myself?

If you actually have to ask that question then NO, you cannot replace it yourself.

 

[vaipan]

I'm not talking about where the case has been removed. I'm talking about the lower area, above your keyboard, which is extremely dirty. If this is consistent with the level of care that this laptop receives, it's not a surprise that parts of the case have been broken, it's likely this isn't the only way the laptop is on its last legs. In which case, spending much to fix it wouldn't be a good investment of your money.

It's not dirt per say. It's the rest of a sticker that was put there without my consent and that I never got to remove completely. The case has been broken because as I said earlier one of the hinges got stuck and I couldn't do anything but putting the hinge down and remove a part of the plastic case for the computer to be able to close. I didn't have the money to pay 300e to have a professional do the thing the 'right way'.

I understand your willingness to judge people hastily but it's not always deserved sadly.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm not judging you, I'm judging the condition of your laptop. The condition of your laptop, from what you've shown us, is not very good. And the condition of the laptop is an important part of the calculus when evaluating a worthwhile course of action. I would be more inclined to do things like seek out a broken donor chassis on a well-maintained laptop than a poorly maintained one.

And no, you can't tell me that this is the fault of a giant sticker. There are clear stains and dirt here beyond the residue of a sticker that bend around the hinge and even goes down the slope all the way to the keys.

An honest evaluation of the situation requires everything to be taken into consideration. Considering the broken plastic case and the apparent dirt, I have to conclude it's more likely than not that this laptop has been poorly maintained. Maybe the rest of the laptop is in pristine, mint condition, but we can only see what you show us.